


Follow Me Home, Leave this all Behind

by anupturnedboat



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-12
Updated: 2013-06-12
Packaged: 2017-12-14 17:39:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/839578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anupturnedboat/pseuds/anupturnedboat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I am the villain in this story remember? Never had much interest in being a hero.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Follow Me Home, Leave this all Behind

**Author's Note:**

> Henry has been rescued. A new ally offers the crew a way home. Hook has his doubts. Regina is annoyed.

The boy is quick, deftly weaving in between the large palm fronds. Emma, hands protectively on Henry’s shoulders, follows, pushing her son to move faster. She keeps her eyes on the older boy’s heels that fly forward, all the while hoping to God that he hasn’t lied to them.

Emma can hear Regina behind her, slapping the foliage out of her way and cursing under her breath. Regina has a large gash on her forehead that hasn't healed despite the various spells she has tried.

Emma tries not to think about Mary Margaret somewhere further back. Her arm is badly broken for sure, but if Emma can just get everyone home, Dr. Whale can set it, and her mother will be good as new.

She wills her tired legs to keeping moving faster, no looking back, instead, thinking about Granny’s, the clock tower, a shiny badge, yellow cars– home.

She does not think about Gold. She does not think about the fact that Gold just fucking _vanished_ while they slept. Or that if he is still somewhere in Neverland that they are going to leave him behind.

To give the kid credit, Henry hadn’t cried, but Emma imagines there is going to be a whole lot of conversations about childhood trauma when they get back home.

Momentarily lost in thought, a large frond hits her in the face with a snap, and she stumbles into Henry. She catches herself before they both fall and quickly pulls Henry out of the way because any minute Regina is going to come crashing behind them.

The boy has stopped moving, and his stance is rigid, tense. He eyes her up and down, warily puts a finger to his lips, and peels two fronds apart like a curtain.

Emma looks over his head, and in the midst of the densely packed foliage, a beautiful shimmer glows in the dying daylight - a portal.

“Oh thank God,” Regina sighs in relief behind her.

The boy hisses at Regina and puts a finger to his lips. “Quiet! No one can know I helped you,” he whispers menacingly.

 “How do we know this really is the way back to Storybrooke?” Killian growls quietly, coming up beside Emma.  He’s got a black eye, a cut on his lip and his limp is more pronounced than ever. She glances at him, but he is focused on the teenage boy, his eyes stormy and dangerous.

 David and Mary Margaret finally join the group. Emma is acutely aware her mother is in pain.  She can hear her breathing heavily and David’s faint reassurances.

 “You’re just going to have to take my word for it – pirate,” the boy spits disgustedly.

 “I will take great pleasure ripping you limb from limb if you are lying,” Killian snarls in a low voice.

 “Emmitt isn’t lying,” Henry exclaims unwaveringly, looking up at Emma. “He’s not like the others. He helped me get away.”

 Emma eyes the older boy, Emmitt, unsure. She’s always been good at seeing a lie on someone’s face, detecting a word out of place, a blink in the wrong direction, but Neverland has made her uncertain, everything feels upside down.

 “You can come with us,” Henry pleads stepping away from her, peering up at the older boy. “You don’t have to stay here. You can go home.”

 The older boy softens, blows a lock of hair off his forehead, “There isn’t a home for me to go back to. My world left me behind long ago.”

 “Well than that’s settled,” Regina interrupts in a quiet clipped tone pushing past Emmitt. “Let’s get out of this god forsaken place.”

 “I don’t trust lost Boys,” Killian barks stepping in front of Emma.

 “And I don’t trust Pirates,” Emmitt imitates him. “But here we are.”

 “What is in for you?” Killian asks his eyes narrowing menacingly. “Kindness never comes without a price.”

 “I don’t know exactly where this thing is going to spit you out,” Emmitt says ignoring the pirate looking first at Henry, then directly at Emma, “but it will be in your world. I promise you that. I have risked a great deal helping you find this place if the others ever find out -”

“They’ll kill him,” Henry finishes. “He is risking his life for us. He wouldn’t do that if it isn't the truth."

 “It’s a trick - reeks of Pan,” Killian growls.

 Emma watches the boys face carefully.

 “You’re telling the truth,” Emma breathes, knowing unequivocally that he is.

 Killian whips around and glares at her darkly. “Swan-”

 “Duh,” Henry says exasperatedly.

 Emma nods at her mother and father, and taking Henry’s hand, starts to follow Regina.  When Killian doesn’t move, she stops.

 “Time to go home Captain,” she says with a grim smile, as much as she can’t wait to get back to Storybrooke she really hates traveling through portals.

 “I won’t be joining you, lass,” Killian replies gruffly, refusing to meet her eyes.

 “Why the hell not?” She storms dropping Henry’s hand.

 “Even if this isn’t a trick, my ship is here, can’t leave er’ behind.”

 “Screw the ship. We are not leaving without you.”

 “Emma,” David says softly, pulling at her arm. “We’ve got to go.”

 “Why are you like this? Emma exhales, frustrated pushing her fathers hand away, and stepping towards Killian. “You came all this way when you didn’t have to. You saved my ass more than once. Why? Why take all those risks if you are just going to strand yourself here?”

 “You really want me to come back with you and yours?” Killian questions harshly. “I am the villain in this story remember? Never had much interest in being a hero.”

 “Would you really rather stay here, with a rickety old ship, a tribe of murderous tweens, and a sea of creatures who want you dead, than come back with us? Really?” she questions slowly, closing the space between them. She tries to read whatever lies are in his eyes, but all she can see is herself reflected back.

 The moment seems to stretch for an immeasurably long period of time. David coughs uncomfortably. Regina sighs loudly.

 “Hook, I will knock you out myself and drag you unconscious through that portal if I have to,” she finally threatens calmly, but her heart is in her throat.

 "Well, when you put it that way-” he starts, an inscrutable glint in his eye. Emma shakes her head, warning him.

 Killian sighs in defeat. “I suppose, I can leave the Jolly Roger behind,” he muses roughly, holding her gaze. “There are other ships, right?  Different ships, new adventures to be had?”

 Emma nods and reaches for Henry’s hand.

 “Ugh,” Regina groans. “If that isn’t the metaphor to make me want to vomit all over my shoes, I don’t know what is. If you two are done with the will they or won’t they dance, can we get going already?”

 


End file.
